A Cold Welcome
by LemonMacarons
Summary: Natsu comes home from a long mission only to be welcomed home by, Gray? A bit smutty. Enjoy Loves.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Let me know what you want to see from this story.

Enjoy. ;)

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"You look rough." Gray's voice came before the dragon slayer could see him. He squinted his uncovered eye and saw the ice mage sitting behind the table in the dark.

"I've been rougher." He replied, ignoring the bandages that wound their way up his arms.

Gray looked him over carefully. "Not by much."

"Is anyone else here? I could really go for some grub." Natsu asked, his joints aching as he took a seat at the table. As late as it was, he didn't expect much.

"It's just me." Gray answered, pushing his chair away from the table.

"Why are you here so late?"

"I was waiting."

"Waiting for what? Is your girlfriend on a mission?"

"Something like that, but Juvia and I aren't a thing anymore."

"Oh." Natsu mumbled, looking down at the table. He had been gone for nearly six months, the longest mission he'd ever taken without Happy. The blue exceed was busy. Between Carla and the kittens, he always made time for Natsu but rarely had time for missions of any real length.

"It's not a big deal."

"So you ended it then?"

A small sound of annoyance left the ice mage's lips. "What's it matter to you flame brain?"

"Sorry." Something in Gray's tone told Natsu he shouldn't press the subject. The ice mage had seemingly aged significantly in the time he was gone. A new weariness wore on his face like it hadn't before.

"She broke up with me." Gray shrugged. "It was for the best, really for the best."

"Was there someone else-?"

"Yeah." He shook his head. "Kinda, but not for her."

"Okay…" Natsu mumbled, unsure how to get himself out of the conversation.

"Hold on." He said, walking back into the kitchen. The ice mage came back with a large sandwich, obviously thrown together as fast as he could manage.

"Thanks Gway." Natsu said as he inhaled the sandwich. It was the best meal he'd had in a while.

"So how'd the mission go?"

"Well, it's done so I guess it went okay. The reward was great."

"What happened to your eye?"

"It's no big deal. It'll be healed up in no time."

"Are you sure?" Gray asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Of course I am ice princess." He scoffed, swallowing the last of his sandwich.

"You let your hair grow out." Gray observed, eyeing the pink mess atop his head.

"I haven't had time to cut it."

"It looks good." A compliment from Gray?  
"It's actually been driving me nuts."

"I could cut it." The ice mage said, shrugging his shoulders as if it was an everyday suggestion.

"Really?" Natsu asked skeptically. "Have you ever cut hair before?"

"I cut my own hair."

"So that's why it looks so bad." He lied smoothly.

"Can it volcano breath."

"Make me."

Gray swallowed hard but looked away.

"Hey popsicle pants?"

"What?"

"I would appreciate it actually." He offered him a smile. "If it looks like crap I can always have Lucy fix it for me."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Do you think Mira has any scissors laying around?"

"Actually, we probably shouldn't use her kitchen scissors. My apartment isn't far from here. We could go back there to cut it."

"Alright." Natsu said, standing up.

"Are you sure about this?" Natsu asked as Gray draped a towel over his shoulders. It smelled lightly of peppermint and pine, the scent of the ice mage. Natsu was thankful that it lacked the strong scent of laundry detergent. It always gave him a headache.

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't." He replied, but his voice wavered.

The ice mage's fingers entangled in the salmon hair, working out the knots. Gray's touch felt gentle, nice even.

"How short do you want it?"

"Just normal I guess." Natsu shrugged.

"Hold still."

Natsu wanted to tell him to move quicker then, but for some reason he held his tongue.

"Could you hand me the scissors?"

Natsu reached for the scissors in front of him and lifted them above his head. He felt Gray's hand, missing the scissors entirely latch onto his hand. The icy hand lingered just a bit longer than necessary before taking the scissors. The dragon slayer felt blood rush to his face. Just exactly what was going on with him? That wasn't a normal response to Gray touching his hand.

The metallic snip of the scissors sounded behind him and he froze. "How's it going."

"Looks good so far. Do you trust me?"

"Sometimes."

"Right now?"

Natsu's breath hitched in his throat. "…yes."

"Good."

"What are you doing?"

"Leaving it just a bit longer than usual." He paused, walking around to the dragon slayer's front. "It suits you."

Natsu looked up at Gray through the hair that had grown down over his eye. He closed his eye as Gray's hand brushed against his forehead.

"There." The ice mage declared, pushing the pink strands out of Nat's face. He picked up a small mirror he had retrieved from the bathroom and handed it to the dragon slayer.

"Not bad." Natsu said, touching his hair absentmindedly. "But do you think you could cut the front just a little shorter?"

"Sure." He said, leaning in closer.

Natsu watched as he took the front of his hair in between his fingers and took off just a bit more. With their faces no more than a few inches apart, the dragon slayer looked up so that their noses brushed.

"Natsu?"

"Sorry." He said, looking down only to have Gray catch his chin with his finger and tilt his face back up.

"Don't be." He said before pressing a small kiss to the dragon slayer's lips.

"Gray?" Natsu asked, his heart rate quickening. His voice muffled through Gray's lips. "What are you doing?

"Do you want me to stop?" Gray asked, pulling just far enough away to speak clearly.

Natsu shook his head and wrapped his arms around the ice mage. A metallic clang sounded as the scissors fell to the floor, but it wasn't enough to jar them away from each other. The dragon slayer pressed his lips against the ice mage, pulling him into a deep kiss. Fire and ice, the perfect combination.


	2. Chapter 2

Gray gently nipped at the dragon slayer's bottom lip, eliciting a soft moan from his warm lips. His hands trailed down Natsu's chest, his fingers grabbing at the hem at the end of his shirt. The ice Mage slowly worked his fingertips up his chiseled abs, pushing the shirt up as he went.

Natsu broke the kiss, just long enough to pull the shirt up and over his head. A smirk played across his face as he caught sight of Gray's shirt on the ground below his own.

"Can we take this to the couch?" Gray asked, realizing the awkwardness of their position. A wooden chair in the kitchen wasn't exactly the best make out location.

"Actually, would you care if I grabbed a shower?" Natsu asked. There was dirt caked around the edges of the bandages on the dragon slayer's arms and the one over his eye looked as though it hadn't been changed very recently.

"Of course." He replied, pulling back. He could probably use a shower himself, a cold one. He walked to the cupboard in the hall and pulled out a fresh towel.

"Uh, Gray?" Natsu called.

"Yeah?"

"You could, uh, join me if you wanted to."

Not a cold shower then.

Gray reached back into the cupboard and pulled out another towel. Every response that came to mind wouldn't cut it. He swallowed the lump in his throat and walked back into the kitchen.

Natsu was standing in the middle of the kitchen, stripped down to just his boxers.

"Does that mean you'll join me?" Natsu asked, that stupid cocky grin playing across his face as he set eyes on the two towels.

"Shut up flame brain." Gray said, no venom in his voice.

"Make me, Popsicle dick."

You'll see soon enough, Gray thought but didn't say. Instead, he took a step forward and stole a kiss. "Come on, bathroom is upstairs."

By the time they made it to the top of the stairs, Gray had shed all of his clothing, save for the necklace that hung around his neck.

"Let me help you with that." Natsu said, noting towards the silver and sapphire pendant. Gray couldn't help but notice that the dragon slayer was looking anywhere but down. Could he be embarrassed?

"Sure." Gray replied, taking a step towards him.

He reached his arms around Gray's neck as the ice Mage looked down, noticing how dangerously low Natsu's boxers hung on his hips. It took all the restraint he had not to reach down and press his hand against the impressive bulge growing there.

"Let me help you?" Gray asked, motioning towards the bandage that covered the dragon slayers eye and a large part of his face.

"No." He paused, his eyes shifting to the side. "I'm gonna leave it on."

"Don't be ridiculous. You can't take a shower with the bandages on. They'll soak right through." He said, touching the edge of the bandage.

"Damnit Gray." Natsu said, slapping his hand away. "I said no."

"What the hell is your problem man?" Gray asked, pulling back. Had this all been a mistake.

Natsu groaned in frustration.

"I was just trying to help."

"I just don't want you to see it." He admitted.

"If it's that bad you definitely need to change the dressing." Gray ordered, reaching forward, but pulling his hand back before he connected with him.

"It's almost healed now." Natsu said, pulling at the edge of the bandage.

"Then why is it still-" Gray swallowed hard as Natsu peeled back the rest of the bandage. A long jagged scar from beside his ear, up across his eye, and onto his forehead. "Shit Natsu."

Natsu kept the eye closed as a small smile formed on his lips. It didn't quite reach his eyes. "See? That. I didn't want to see you look at me like that."

"It's not bad." Gray decided, running his hand up the dragon slayer's arm. "It looks kinda bad ass."

Natsu shook his head and looked up, staring straight at Gray. His eye was clouded with only traces of its original green leaking through.

"Natsu." What was left of Gray's smile faded.

"This was a mistake." He said, looking at the floor. "I'm going to head back to my place."

"Natsu, wait." Gray said, struggling to find the words he was looking for. But Natsu was gone before he could stop him.

The ice Mage flew down the stairs, grabbing his boxers off the steps and staggering into him as he went. Natsu couldn't leave, not now. It was too soon. He'd only just gotten him.

"Wait Flame Brain!" He called as he caught a trace of salmon pink exiting through the front door.

He lunged forward out the front door and latched on to the dragon slayer's wrist.

"Fuck off." Natsu spat, jerking his hand out of Gray's grasp.

"Damnit Natsu, cut the shit." Gray said, the words coming out as a growl. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Go home ice princess."

"No." Gray said, following close behind him. "I need you to talk to me."

"I need you to leave me alone."

"Why are you acting like this?"

Natsu stopped and turned around, little flames licking the edges of his skin. "Why am I acting like this? Why am I acting like this!? I come home from this hellish mission to find you waiting at the guild hall. You tell me you and Juvia broke up and next thing I know we're kissing. Then you see my damn face and you get this stupid pathetic look of pity on yours."

"Natsu." Gray said, once again searching for words. "It's not like that."

"Did you just feel sorry for me?"

"What?"

"Did you just kiss me because you knew? You knew I was hurt and you thought that would make it better? Is that it?"

"No, it's not like that." He groaned. "Damnit Natsu."

"Then why? Were you lonely because Juvia broke up with you?"

"Juvia broke up with me because it was your name I was saying in my sleep instead of hers. These things I did, they weren't on a whim. You were gone for months and I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted. To think about you."

"You, you've felt like this before today?"

"Natsu, I love you."

"I-"

"Don't respond to that." Gray said imeddiately regretting the words regardless of how true they were. "'I didn't mean to say that."

"But you did mean it?"

Gray nodded, his lips sealed shut.

"This is a lot to take in."

"Just come back to my house." Gray suggested. "You can get a shower and get some sleep. I'll take the couch and we can sort things out."

Natsu sighed.

"I'm sorry for springing things on you like this. Just come back to the house. I'm not about to let you walk home half naked."

The dragon slayer looked down, cracking a small smile. "I guess you're running off on me stripper."

"I never thought I'd be happy to hear you call me that." Gray said, relief flooding through him.


End file.
